Other Links

Craft show, Night One

Night One of the Raise the Roof Art and Music fest was not the same turnout as it was last year. Kinda bummed, but am hoping that today will be a bit better. Not sure if it's the economy, the fact that another very large craft show is going this weekend at the same time, or that I priced my jewelry a bit high. At any rate, my display turned out great. I have some pics to share.

This is one of the little stamped paper bags I embellished...

I also bought some blank greeting cards at Michaels and turned them into little prepackaged jewelry holders with some cellophane bags. People seemed most impressed with these!

And I utilized that cool wooden tool box (but forgot the big tool box for the bracelets...

And here are some pics of my table from last night..

None of the Harbinger collection sold, which is kind of sad for me since it's what I was most excited to show off. I even made several more pieces the last few nights so I would have a nice assortment to choose from. Shoppers seemed to dig the rings, but no one bought one.

Do you include your business card with the stamped jewelry holders? I thought of an idea you probably already have covered. You could have a rubber stamp made with your business info and stamp the back or bottom front. Just a thought.

My only problem would be not buying your whole inventory! I LOVE the rings so if you have one left over bring it with you and I will happily purchase it. I might actually shop at your online store the day before you come and have you bring a few Christmas gifts with you. Your set up at the show is also very cool, very you and you and Franny are as beautiful as ever!

Good luck for today! I think craft shows are completely unpredictable - I do one a year at my friend's church as I love her to bits but I don't think anyone at it makes much money - the only guy who sold loads last year was on a table basically selling junk! Sometimes people want a cheap bargain rather than something beautiful and hand crafted. So hopefully you'll get less of those and more of the opposite today!

I know...shows are such a hit-or-miss thing. You're dependent on who decided to attend on that particular day, in that particular area, and whether they're looking for what you offer. That's why the web is so great...you can make a sale to someone anywhere in the world while you're at the office, in the studio, or even sleeping!

Love your display, you certainly have the knack for bringing it all together, the owl stamp really adds a whimsical touch to your cards.....your jewelry looks perfect in this setting....hope it goes better for you today!

I think craft show buyers are more conservative than those who buy on the Internet. So I'm not surprised the Harbinger Collection didn't do well, especially at first; it's gorgeous, but unfamiliar for a lot of buyers. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the similarities and differences of pieces that sold at the show vs. your Internet sites. Maybe jewelry makers should have a website for pictures of what sold/what didn't at craft fairs, so we can get an idea of trends and preferences. It's always a crap shoot, isn't it?

Dear Lorelei, I love your stall setup.It is lovely.I do hope you have some sales.I know a girl over here who has the most fab stuff.She has been making jewelry and selling it for years.She didn,t sell a thing last craft fair.We are both selling at the same craft fair in Solihull next week.Eeek!I hope some of my things sell.Your things are stunning and should sell well.If they don,t,it might just be that people are holding on to their cash.Cheers,Anne

Your booth looks gorgeous! It works perfectly with your jewelry style. I've done some shows that were great and others that were terrible with no rhyme or reason. Hopefully tonight will be better for you! :-)

Oh your display looks beautiful! Very warm and inviting with the soft glow of lamps. I love the stamped owl bags and jewelry cards! The table display looks wonderful! Everything flows very nicely with your smiling face right at the center!

Don't worry about your pricing. My friend told me the best advice..."People get what they want" so regardless of the price, if they HAVE to have it, they will buy it! ;)

Also if you price too low people wonder "what's wrong with it" that it would be priced so low. I think you are doing great!

I hope today is better. That sucks there is another show going on at the same time. I hate it when promoters don't pay attention to those things :(

Everything looks great! You can never predicts what happens at a show. Most of my shows go quite well, but I have had 3 that were a major waste of time! The key is to have a little something for everyone!! You sometimes sacrifice a little of your style to make silly little accessories but they may be just the thing to draw the crowds!Good Luck!!

i would love to buy one of your harbinger necklaces with a black disk if there are any left - although the ones you put in your shop were lovely, i don`t wear either colour. For what it is worth, I think your jewelery is reasonably priced. I was at one of the big local shows recently and the jewelery was more expensive than yours, but not as nice. Good luck today!

Lorelei, your creativity never ceases to amaze me. Your booth is simply gorgeous, I love the way you incorporated all the of the vintage items into your display. And your packaging is too, too cute! No way, no how did you not do anything right. I've heard so many artisans saying the same thing lately, lots of looky loos, very few buyers. Which totally stinks, if you ask me! Those same looky loos are going to end up choosing something totally uninspired on Christmas Eve because they waited til the last minute to shell out the dough. And they'll probably end up shelling out more than they would have if they'd shopped early. *sigh* Just keep on keepin' on, and my fingers are crossed that today is better!

I love your display, thank you for sharing it. The rustic antiques and the lamps are all perfect for your style of jewelry. They all come together perfectly to say: This is Lorelei's artistic aesthetic. I love how you packaged the earrings. I've been struggling to come up with a way to display more earrings without taking up too much space. I think I'll package some of them in cello wrap, too. Wishing you luck today!

It all looks beautiful! Your tables look so fabulous! WOW! You did an amazing job with it all. Love the tags and packaged jewelry, really great ideas and they came together so well. You look gorgeous, too! :)

Oh I hope you did better today! It looks great love that little owl! I would hazard a guess the economy has alot to do with it. On the internet your all set up for success people who are looking to shop know where to find you - but I bet many people going out to craft fairs are there to get out and look around.Fingers crossed!

OMG,I love your display and all the other readers comments! By the standards of where I live you have a huge display and with lighting! I am curious how much you paid for your space for the sale? Where I live that set up in a similar setting would be about $100 but rarely do they go for more then a day unless they are 3 days events which run the $600 range.Wish I was there I would have bought lots@!!! and had my photo with you too!CillaP.S. Coincidentally today I did a sale for a hospital auxiliary and it went well.Thanks for sharing as always!

Your jewelry, packaging and displays are beautiful, whimsical and spot on! You don't need to change anything, including your prices, which are very reasonable. As in one of the comments below, if you make it too cheap, people think it's cheap stuff (which it's not).

I've found that sales really depend on the crowd and location. Also, some craft fairs have developed a following because they have a reputation for high quality. I just did a fair like that and it went well. To get a booth, my items had to pass a review/inspection.

On a different note, your owl motif is sweet and eye-catching. My friend, who is a graphic artist told me to place my name/business name where people can see it. I think you could put your name next to or under the owl and it would give you more name recognition!